News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-07-28
FROM WASHINGTON.
from our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D. c.,
july 21, 1887.


WASHINGTON, D. c.,
July 81, 1887.
Sore and sorer by reason OF two
humlliating repulses from the Grand
Army of the Republic, the President
retreats from the Capitol and seeks
relief and consolation in the cooling
shades and quiet retreats of his boy
hoods home, and basks for time in
the smiles of dear relatives and old
friends. I don't blame Mr.. Cleveland
one bit, for he really must have been
under a severe mental strain for the
past month, and he is naturally glad
to call a brief truce to the great cares
and many responsibilities of his lofty
station. But 90 where he may, the
Presidents two grave mistakes will
worry him by day and haunt him by
night.
Secretary Fairchild has also gone
to his old home in New York State
for a short vacation, the first of any
consequence that he has taken for two
years. The Secretary evidently thinks
he may stay in this city quite while,
as he has lately bought a fine resi-
dence in a fashionable neighborhood,
paying for it the snug sum of $4,000.
On the other hand, to show that even
members of the Cabinet are not ex-
empt from the prevailing speculative
craze, 1t is only necessary to mention
that Secretary Whitney, the capitalist
of the Cabinet, has given new proof
of his right to that distinction by sell
ing his famous and beautiful country
seat, "Grasslands," at a profit of
600, afteran-ox ownership of only
GWO y TaISs IeLaIuInS Gue pIiVuCSS OI
leasing the property three years.
Lately the administration seems
bent on the work of steadily pushing
the comparatively few remaining Re-
publicans out of office all along the
line, and the New York clique, recog
nizing that their State is pivotal as
well as powerful, is at the head of the
movement. In addition to Whitney
turning over the New York and Brook
Ign navy Yards to the tender mercies
of the Democratic bosses, Secretary
Fairchild has given over to the spoils-
men that mighty political engine, the
New York Custom House, while Pub
lie Printer Benedict is working the
Washington end of the line by ex-
hausting his energy in dismissing sol
diers and the widows of soldiers en-
ployed in his office, regardless alike
of his own positive promises while his
nomination was hung up in the Sen
ate, and the repeated protests of De-
partment Commander Burke. Up to
date he has displaced about 100 per-
sons of the classes named and given
their places to Democratic favorites,
purely for political reasons.
At a meeting of the Veterans
Rights Union, held a short time since,
a report was made that of 63 people,
either themselves Grand Army men
or supporting the families of Grand
Army men, who were lately dismissed
from the government printing office,
only five have been reinstated. Of
course it will be understood that these
persons are dependent, and when de-
prived of employment have no other
means of support.
Another small scandal has Just
come to the surface il the Patent Of
fee. Eugene Kelley, Chief of the
Assignment Division, had been habit
ually taking advantage of his posi-
ton TO borrow sums of money from
the clerks under him, forgetting to
refund the same. Being backed by
Senator Voorhees,, Mr.. Kelley was
soundly reprimanded for his delin-
quency, and instead of being dismissed
as he should have been, was ordered
''to go and sin no more" But the
most accomplished of Democratic
swindlers is Oscar ]. Harvey, who
has reduced forgery to fine art by
studying it as a science. After the
exposure of the scheme by which Har-
yey had stolen about $4,000 from
the Treasury on bogus claims for of
ficers' horses that had died in the mil
itary service, and after his incarcera-
ton in jail, Harvey's desk was broken
open, when such notes as these were
found: s'Written with left hand, pur-
pie ink and index pen," "Written
with right hand, gold pen and dark
bluein ink" Was ever such consummate
scoundrelism known? Good Lord de-
liver from such graceless thieves.
1t turns out that the recent state
ments of the extraordinary and I'M
precedented amount of work done at
the Pension office are not at all war
ranted by facts, that strong and sys-
tematic efforts have been made to ex->